


Getting to Know You

by clgfanfic



Category: War of the Worlds (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-12-03 04:09:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/693951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A post-"The Resurrection" vignette</p>
            </blockquote>





	Getting to Know You

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in Green Floating Weirdness #18 under the pen name Gillian Holt.

_"Ironhorse, what's this all about?"_

 

        Lieutenant Colonel Paul Ironhorse stormed through the Cottage, intent on a single objective – finding Dr. Harrison Blackwood.  Grabbing the doorknob to the astrophysicist's office, he ground his jaws together and twisted.

        Harrison looked up from a recent journal he was trying to finish.  "Colonel, what's wrong?"

        It was a completely silly question.  Suzanne and Norton had already warned him that the Special Forces officer had left earlier that morning, trying to track him down when they had discovered he'd pulled one of his infamous disappearing acts.  At the New Pacific Institute his adventures were legend; no one raised an eyebrow at his odd comings and goings, but he'd left PIT nearly two months ago.

 _Has it only been that long?_ he wondered.

Now he was the head of a top-secret task force fighting invading aliens from God knew where, following in his adopted father's footsteps.

        The Colonel entered his office, dragging the door shut behind him with enough force to rattle the Nautilus lamp setting on Blackwood's desk.

"We need to talk, Doctor."

        Harrison sighed silently.  He really didn't see what the problem was.  He'd expected the Colonel to give him a couple of hours, at least, before jumping to dire conclusions and heading out after him – if he did at all.  After all, he was a grown man, and he'd managed for a number of years to take care of himself.  He'd even handled the situations with the resurrected aliens quite nicely _without_ the military breathing down his neck.  Although, he grudgingly admitted to himself, it did help, knowing the taciturn Colonel was there, watching their backsides. But he'd be triple damned if he'd tell Ironhorse that – at least until the man loosened up a bit.

        Harrison studied the angry glare in the black gaze that inspected him like he was some kind of specimen on one of Suzanne's slides.  Whatever had set the soldier off, Ironhorse hadn't calmed down any.  In fact, he was probably more angry now that he'd finally found Blackwood.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

According to Suzanne and Norton, every time Ironhorse had called that morning, checking to see if Harrison had returned to the Cottage, his tone suggested a Colonel who was increasingly out for blood – Blackwood's blood, and not all in one fell blow.

The astrophysicist fought hard not to smile.  Ironhorse was marvelous when he was flustered – and it was so incredibly easy to invoke that emotion in the man.  The soldier might be an excellent military leader, a legendary warrior and strategist, but around the civilians at the Cottage he quite often seemed at a complete loss.  But Harrison had watched the man, and after a few weeks, he had decided that much of that confusion was just a show.  Paul Ironhorse was smarter than he let on.

Still, there was the man's deep, abiding dedication to routine and standards that rankled Blackwood's freewheeling psyche.  Given enough exposure, the astrophysicist was sure he'd be able to break down some of the spit-and-polish, by-the-book masquerade.

        With a small, silent sigh, the scientist weighed the idea of explaining where he'd been, but decided against it.  The soldier wouldn't accept the notion that Harrison had simply needed to stretch his wings a little.  Confinement and Harrison Blackwood were not well acquainted, and the physicist intended to keep it that way.  Besides, he did some of his best "mind work" when he was just driving around with nowhere in particular to go.

        Harrison closed his journal carefully, amazed that his little trip could have upset the Colonel so much.  Ironhorse really did need to relax more.  "Fine.  What is it?"

        "Where the hell were you this morning, Mister?"

        Blackwood nearly laughed out loud.  "I don't see where that's any of your concern, Colonel."

        "Concern?  My _concern_ , Doctor?  It damn well _is_ my concern.  I'm in change of security for this project, in case you've forgotten."

        "How could I possibly forget?  You're always reminding me of that fact, Colonel!"

        "Well?"

        "Well, what?" Harrison snapped, his own anger beginning to escalate.  After all, no one had told him that he'd be a prisoner when this all started!  General Wilson had not said "And you will remain at the Cottage under house arrest at all times."  In fact, General Wilson had told him he could do things _his_ way.  Obviously the General had forgotten to inform Colonel Ironhorse about that little fact.

        "Where were you?" the soldier asked again.

        "Out!  I was out!"

        Ironhorse put his hands on his hips in an angry gesture that suggested he'd rather be wrapping them around Blackwood's throat.  "That's not good enough, Blackwood."

        "Well, it better be, _Colonel_ , because that's all you're going to get."  He opened the journal with a flourish.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some reading I need to get caught up on."  Harrison dipped his head and began to pore over the print.

        "Damn it, Blackwood, you can't go running around out there without any backup!  It's just plain stupid!"

        "So now I'm stupid, am I?" Harrison snapped, purposefully misreading the comment in order to give rein to his mounting anger.  If the Colonel wanted a good argument, the astrophysicist was more than ready to give it to him.  After all, he didn't have Gutterman to harass any more.  He slammed the magazine closed.  "Well, if I'm stupid, I'd hate to think what that makes you!"

        "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" Ironhorse hissed.

        "You figure it out," Blackwood replied, too smugly, and once again escaped behind the slick pages of reduced print.

        A sharp click echoed in the room and Harrison found himself looking up despite his best intentions not to.  What he found both frightened and surprised him more than he expected.  The Colonel's M-9 Beretta was in his hand, although pointed up at the ceiling, and his arms were folded across his chest.

        "What's this all about, Colonel?" Harrison asked, thankful the weapon wasn't trained on him.

        "You, Doctor.  Now, if you'll stand up, _slowly_ , and keep your hands on the desk."

        "What?  Colonel—"

        "Now, Blackwood," Ironhorse interrupted, his tone deadly serious.

        The scientist complied, suddenly concerned about the soldier's mental stability.  "Now what?" he asked, remaining perfectly still.

        "Now we go down to the Biolab so Dr. McCullough can check you out," was the reply.

        "Colonel," Harrison said as reasonably as possible, "this is crazy.  I cleared the radiation detectors, and—"

        "The detectors could be fooled."

        The astrophysicist's anger flared.  "Damn it, Ironhorse, you're going too far!"

        With memories of his lost Delta Force squad haunting him, the Colonel motioned for Blackwood to move, and the man complied, too afraid not to.

They walked to the elevator, the officer saying as he pushed the button to call the car, "Maybe I am going too far, Doctor, but so did you."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

        Suzanne carried out the simple blood test as quickly as possible.  It was abundantly clear that the two men were a hairsbreadth away from physical violence.

Norton wisely remained at his computer terminal, watching them from behind the safety of the high-tech barricade.

        "As far as I can tell, he's human," the microbiologist announced as cheerfully as she could manage.

        "That's debatable," the Colonel muttered under his breath.

        Harrison turned and stormed out of the Biolab, growling as he did, "In my office, Colonel.  _Now!_ "

        Ironhorse made no move to follow the man, leaning against the doorway between the two basement labs instead until Blackwood's thundering footfalls faded completely behind the closing elevator doors.

        "What is this all about?" Suzanne asked, curious and worried.

        "Nothing," he said, pushing away from the doorjamb and heading for the stairs.

        "Weirdest 'nothing' I ever saw," Norton commented as Ironhorse passed.  "Be careful how far you push this team, Colonel.  We aren't some of your toy soldiers."

        "I'm well aware of that fact, Mr. Drake."  The colonel paused, turning back to face the black man.

Drake was surprised to see fleeting traces of pain in the man's eyes.  _So, the mighty Colonel is human after all_ , he thought.  _Miracles never cease_.

Giving the computer expert a tired half-smile, Ironhorse added, "Believe it or not, Mr. Drake, I don't want to turn this into a military post.  You people need room to work.  I can understand that, but Blackwood has to understand that there are going to be some compromises.  How can I provide security for you if you disappear as soon as I turn my back?"  He glanced up, meeting Suzanne's eyes, then looked back to Norton.  "This isn't my idea of a good time, either, people.  Remember that.  I just want to keep you all alive long enough for you to destroy the aliens.  Then we can all get back to our real lives."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

        "What do you think?" Norton asked once the Colonel was out of hearing range.  "My money's on the Irresistible Force; he had plenty of practice at PIT."

        She shrugged.  "I don't know; the Immovable Object does have a point.  I would like to live long enough to be a grandmother.  I just hope they get it worked out before they say, or do something, they can't take back – like, oh, kill each other?  I haven't seen either of them this mad since Harrison and I stumbled across the Colonel out at that abandoned tourist attraction."

        Norton sighed and shook his head.  "Ain't love grand?"

        Suzanne grinned.  "Maybe that's what they need."

        "What?"

        "A good fling to vent all that latent male aggression," she teased.

        Norton nodded solemnly, but he couldn't hide his grin.  "I could use one of those myself, but I think that's a little too romantic for either of those two."

        "Tell me about it," she replied, leaving the man to wonder which part of the comment she was agreeing with.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

        Harrison was pacing angrily in his office, waiting.  Two months and already he was close to regretting his decision to work for General Henry J. Wilson and the United States military.  This just wasn't going to work.  Clayton was right, they _were_ all a bunch of blind, stupid, inflexible, hard-headed—

        The memory of a very angry Clayton Forrester arrived unbidden in the astrophysicist's mind, along with that of his eight-year-old self, shifting uncomfortably under the hard glare his adoptive father had leveled on him.  Harrison had decided to skip school that day, making his way downtown with the help of a kindly bus driver.  The awe-inspiring walls of the main city library had been too much of a temptation for the inquisitive boy.  Lost in the shelves of books, he completely forgot that Sylvia was supposed to pick him up from school that afternoon.  And when she couldn't find him…

        Okay, so what if Ironhorse _was_ right.  His disappearing act that morning had been risky, but he had honestly needed to escape the Cottage. The very idea of the war they were fighting, and where it might take them—

        The door swung open.  "Blackwood."

        "Colonel," Harrison chorused.

        Both men fell silent, each waiting for the other to speak first.

        Harrison debated fiercely with himself.  The Colonel was right.  He had put himself and the project at risk.  But he also needed Ironhorse to bend a little.  Maybe, just maybe he could make the man understand that.  He silently prayed he could.

        "Look, Colonel, I realize I should've told someone where I was going, but I honestly didn't know myself.  I just needed some time _alone_ – to clear my head."

        Ironhorse nodded.  He could understand that.  He often felt the same way.  And if Blackwood could bend a little, maybe they could find a compromise.  But that meant that he needed to give a little, too.  "I can understand that, Doctor.  We'll all need that from time to time.  But I can't tolerate you slipping in and out of here whenever you get the urge.  This project is too important to be treated that lightly.  I can't let you go traipsing off—"

        "I thought we settled this before, Colonel.  This isn't a prison, and you aren't my keeper.  I'm still a free man."

        The soldier glared defiantly at the scientist.  _Why, Grandfather?  Why did I have to end up with this assignment?  Opposites.  We're exactly opposite in everything.  How am I ever going to get it through his thick civilian head that it's not just the safety of this project I'm worried about?  Like it or not, this man might be all there is between us and an alien invasion_.

        "Well?"  Harrison goaded when his adversary remained unusually quiet.

        Ironhorse broke out of the rigid military posture he'd assumed and walked over to lean against Harrison's cluttered desk, his gaze locked with the scientist's on the other side.  "It's not just my job, Doctor," he said, his expression and tone softening.  "What do you suppose I was thinking when we found out you were gone?"

        Blackwood blinked, but he had nothing to say.  He had no idea what the soldier might have been thinking.

        Ironhorse pushed off the desk and paced across the room.  "I was scared, Doctor."  He stopped at the chalkboard, then turned, his gaze locking again on Harrison's.  The astrophysicist swallowed hard.  "I was afraid that you'd be found and taken over like the men in my Delta Squad.  I was worried that the project would be compromised; that I'd have to kill you, too… that the world might be lost to the aliens."

        "Colonel—"

        "And there was something else, too," Ironhorse interrupted, his eyes narrowing slightly.  "I haven't felt fear like that since I was a F'n new lieutenant in Vietnam!  Do you have any idea why, Doctor?"

        "Ironhorse, please, it was—"

        The colonel's eyes narrowed.  "I bet you'll find this pretty damned funny – the hard-assed military soldier freaked out because he's worried that if you got yourself killed the whole world might be lost to freakin' outer-space aliens!"

        Harrison stepped around his desk, reaching the smaller man in three long strides.  He stopped in front of the soldier, and said, "Look, I'm sorry.  I should've realized—"

"Yes, you should've, damn it."

"I wasn't thinking, I—"  Harrison shook his head.  "I just need to get away from this place.  Away from what we're doing.  I can't work in a prison, Colonel.  It just isn't the way I operate."

        The black eyebrows rose in graceful arcs.  "Second thoughts, Doctor?"

        Harrison closed his eyes for a moment, willing the tangle of thoughts back into a corner he could control.  "No, absolutely not."

        Ironhorse nodded.  "All right, let's say I understand your need for some time alone."  A smile broke across Harrison's face.  " _But_ I still can't tolerate you just disappearing whenever you feel like it.  If you need some time away, tell me.  We'll arrange something.  That can't be too much to ask."

        Harrison hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I think I can live with that, Colonel."

        "Good, because to tell you the truth, Doctor, I don't want to play warden any more than you want me to.  I'm here to see that you stay alive so you can defeat these… _things_.  Then I can get back to my world and you can return to yours.  In the meantime—"

        "I know, I know, compromise."

        "It would be appreciated."

        Harrison smiled and stuck out his hand.

        Ironhorse eyed it suspiciously, remembering Dr. McCullough's story about her first meeting with Blackwood.  It looked safe enough – for the moment.  He shook the proffered hand.  It was a start.  Maybe they would make it after all.


End file.
